Terrestrial dune fields are good indicator of past and present aeolian transport regimes of
planets like Earth, Mars, and Venus [e.g.,1; and references therein]. Aeolian processes provide insight into
the interactions between the atmosphere and the surface of Mars as well as the weather, climate, and climatic evolution along the Martian history [2-3].
A complete catalogue for Martian dune fields, leveled as the Mars Global Digital Dune Database
(MGD3
), contains information about locations and
characteristics of dune fields as well as other parameters [4-5]. The MGD3
, done by manual visual photo
interpretation from the Thermal Emission Imaging System [THEMIS; 6] of 100 m/pixel images, needs to be
updated for a better understanding of surface and atmospheric mechanisms of Mars. This study used an
automated object-based image analysis (OBIA) technique from the Context Camera [CTX; 7] image of ~6
m/pixel dataset to extract more quick, reliable, and
accurate identification of the dunes at Hargraves crater,
Mars. Having many advantages over the pixel-based
photo interpretation, OBIA can produce more robust
and accurate results in detecting dunes on Mars. The
study, indeed, is a test case and if proven reliable then
the method can be applied to the entire Martian surface
to make a higher resolution dune database, which will
be an updated version of existing database. The Hargraves crater is located on the Jezero crater watershed
on Mars, centered on 75.750 E and 20.750 N (Fig.1).